"If You Pay, I'll Get You Into Rental Housing"… 60s Broker Sentenced to Prison

Violation of the Special Act on Public Housing and Fraud Charges

A man in his 60s who took money to help people hoping to purchase public rental housing with false address registration and created vulnerable group qualifications was sentenced to prison.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 7th, Judge Kim Bora of the Seoul Northern District Court Criminal Division 13 announced that he sentenced Mr. A (60), a broker for rental housing with jeonse loan, who was indicted for violating the Public Housing Special Act and fraud, to one year in prison.

Mr. A was charged with making those who wished to purchase public rental housing pretend to live in hardship, registering false addresses in places like goshiwon (small dormitory rooms), and creating tenant qualifications, receiving between 1 million and 3 million won as compensation.

It was revealed that Mr. A knew the condition that if one resides in a living environment such as a goshiwon or a guesthouse for more than three months, they could rent public rental housing through a jeonse loan, and he exploited this.

Mr. A proposed to Mr. B, who wished to obtain public rental housing, saying, "If you pay 1.5 million won, I will get you the rental housing," and "To qualify as a vulnerable group, you just need to register your address at the goshiwon I provide." Mr. B, despite not living in the goshiwon, submitted a false rental housing application form as if he were part of the vulnerable housing group and underwent the vulnerable group screening. By obtaining tenant qualifications through this fraudulent method, Mr. B was able to rent public rental housing.

In this way, from 2019 to 2022, Mr. A helped a total of 30 people obtain rental housing by preparing documents for emergency housing support or making false address registrations.

Among the 30 people indicted along with Mr. A for violating the Public Housing Special Act, the Resident Registration Act, and fraud, 29 were fined between 1 million and 4 million won. One person who actually qualified for public rental housing was acquitted.

The court explained the sentencing reason, stating, "The defendant deprived legitimate applicants of opportunities by applying for public rental housing through fraudulent means and gained financial benefits, which makes the crime serious."

In particular, regarding Mr. A, the court stated, "He committed the crime dozens of times over a considerable period while receiving fees, and when combined with prior convictions, the number of offenses appears to exceed 50. The defendant also has prior records of similar fines and imprisonment."